An End to Child Abuse
by Serene80
Summary: AU, somewhat OOC. All human. Jasper and Rose, twins, are being abused by their father. His best friend, Edward, figures out his secret...


I remember it like it was yesterday. My best friend, Jasper Hale, had come over after school, like always, but he was acting... strange. There was nothing specific I could point to though.

"Hey, Jazz, what's wrong?"

"Hmm... Oh, nothing. Just kinda stressed about a math test I have tomorrow." Only someone that knew him as well as I do would have sensed the lie. I chose to let it go... for the moment.

Grabbing the right remote from my collection, I turned on the radio, switching to my favorite station. "... back to our fifteenth annual Radiothon to End Child Abuse. We're almost to the five thousand mark, and a quarter of the way to our goal. To make a pledge, please call 888-555-6348, or you can visit our website at . and click on the headphone link at the top of the page. Now, back to the music..."

One of the saddest songs ever came on next. The singer was a little girl with the voice of an angel...

Dear Mr Jesus

I just had to write to you.

Something really scared me

When I saw it on the news.

A story bout a little girl,

beaten black and blue.

Jesus, thought I'd take this right to you.

Dear Mr Jesus,

I don't understand

Why they took her mom and dad away.

I know that they don't mean to hit

with wild and angry hands.

Show them just how big they are, I pray.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

We need love and shelter from the storm.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

Won't you keep us safe and warm?

Dear Mr Jesus,

They say that she may die.

Oh, I hope the doctors stop the pain.

I know that you could save her,

And take her up to the sky,

So she would never have to hurt again.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

We need love and shelter from the storm.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

Won't you keep us safe and warm?

Dear Mr Jesus,

Please tell me what to do.

And, please don't tell my daddy,

But my mommy hits me too.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

We need love and shelter from the storm.

Please don't let them hurt your children.

Won't you keep us safe and warm?

Suddenly, Jazz fruited the hell out. He jumped off the bed and practically flew into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

That behavior was just too out of character for him. I could ignore his lie earlier, but this was too much. I couldn't leave it alone this time. Glad that the door opened out into the bedroom, and that it didn't have a lock, I went in, expecting to see him bent over the sink or something.

Instead, he was wedged into the small space between the sink and toilet. For a moment, I was just glad that my mom was almost obsessive about cleaning. Then I actually caught sight of Jazz's face, and reality hit.

He looked terrified. Absolutely frozen in fear. Not the usual calm, confident mask he showed the rest of the world, or even the timid, fearful face that he only let show around me, but true mind-numbing fear.

Acting on pure instinct, I sat down on the floor so that I'd appear as non-threatening as possible, and made sure to keep my hands in sight and relaxed.

"Hey there, Jazz-man. It's just me. Just Edward. How you doing, buddy?" I kept talking for several minutes, doing my best to calm him down, just kinda rambling.

Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at me. Keeping eye contact, I scooted over the floor toward him. Once I was close enough, I held my hand out to him, silently asking him to move out of the little hole he'd wedged himself into.

As he scooted out, I saw him wince several times, and my suspicions grew. I'd only see him without a shirt once, when I'd walked into my bathroom without realizing he was in there changing. His ribs had been covered with bruises. He told me then that he'd defended Rose, his twin, when her boyfriend went too far. It was out of character, since Rose may look like Barbie, but she punches like a boxer, but at the time I was willing to believe him. It wouldn't fly this time.

I reached for the bottom of his t-shirt, waiting for him to object, but he just buried his face in his hands.

I couldn't hold back a gasp as his stomach and ribs were slowly revealed. He was _covered_ in bruises. There were literally bruises on bruises on bruises.

"Oh, Jazz..." I pulled him to me, mindful of his bruises, and gave him a gentle hug. The second my arms were around him, his secret revealed, he broke down sobbing. His arms wrapped around me, so tight that I'd have bruises of my own. I didn't mind in the least.

It wasn't 'manly' to cry, but neither of us has ever cared about shit like that... at least in private.

I held him to me, gently rocking, until he got control of himself. It could have been five minutes or five hours. I didn't know and didn't care.

Finally sitting back with a sigh, he looked away and covered his face. He jumped, just a little, when I touched the back of one hand.

"No more hiding, Jazz-man. Not from me," I waited, my hand still on his, until he dropped his hands in his lap and looked at me. "It's that bastard father of yours, isn't it? Does he hit Rose too?"

He finally spoke, so quietly that I barely heard him. "Yeah, it's papa. He's hit Rose a few times, if she got home before me for some reason, but I usually step in before he gets her."

I had to force myself to ask the next question, but I needed to know. "Has he ever... forced... you or Rose?"

The way he froze was answer enough, but he eventually answered. "Only me. Never Rose. I... offered... myself in her place."

The way he looked at me, I knew he expected me to be disgusted, and I was, but not for the reason he thought.

"I'd do the same thing if it came down to me or Tink. I think more of you, not less. I just wish you'd trusted me enough to tell me." Standing, I held a hand out to him. "Come on. Carlisle needs to check you. I'm pretty sure you have a few cracked ribs."

After I got him settled back on the bed, I quickly checked to make sure that Rose was in my adopted sister's bedroom. Her name is Alice, but Jazz and I call her Tink. Her twin, Emmett, was nicknamed Teddy because he was the size of a grizzly bear... and about as mean as a teddy bear.

Once I knew for certain that Rose was safe, I raced down to my adoptive father office. Carlisle and his wife, Esme, are the two most amazing people on the planet. Just explaining that there was something wrong with Jazz, he didn't hesitate to follow me to my room.

I was right. Jasper had three cracked ribs.

Jazz couldn't bring himself to speak yet, but nodded in the right spots as I explained what was going on. Carlisle asked a few questions, and Jazz finally spoke, answering them in a soft whisper. After a few minutes, he left to speak with Rose, who was also spending the night, and then went down to his office to call Child Protection. As a doctor, he was a mandatory reporter. Of course, he would have called anyway. He loved Jazz and Rose like they were his own.

Wanting to distract Jazz, I talked him into going down to the living room. Emmett was already there, glued to his X-Box as always. Alice and Rose came in a minute later with armloads of snacks.

Seeing Alice and Emmett together always made me smile. Physically, they were just so different. She was a tiny little black-haired pixie, and he was a huge mountain of a teen. Even at fourteen, he was just huge.

Rose dropped on the couch next to Em, at least until he pulled her into his lap. Jazz settled on the other end of the couch, holding Alice gently against him.

I have to admit, I was kinda glad my girlfriend, Bella, was out of town visiting her mom in Phoenix. She'd had enough drama in her life and didn't need to be in the middle of this mess too.

Anyway, things moved quickly after that. Cops and CPS showed up just a few minutes later. They talked to Jazz and Rose, then spoke with Carlisle in his office. He and Esme were county-approved foster parents, and he insisted that Jazz and Rose stay with us, where they felt safe.

The police quickly picked up their father, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Their mother had died when they were ten and that's when the abuse started. They'd moved here not quite a year ago, right after the twin's 14th birthday. When the judge saw Jazz's medical records from the hospital in San Antonio, he'd thrown the book at their father.

Carlisle and Esme had already applied to adopt them, and the judge was thrilled to approve it. The seven of us were all so happy. Jazz and Rose had already felt like family, and now they really were.

Anyway, it's now four years later. I'm dressed in my suit for the second time this year, staring out my bedroom window at the rows of chairs in the back yard. Emmett and Rose got married in late May, and they're already expecting their first baby... babies, I should say. Twins.

Now it is late September, and I'm best man at Alice and Jazz's wedding. Bella, the maid of honor, had finally given in to fate, whining the whole time, and we're getting married in the spring.

Speaking of marriage, it's time and the music is starting. Time for the happily ever after to begin.

The End... For Now.


End file.
